Compassion in Action

An Ideal Resource:

An introductionary seminar for new health professionals and a refresher on the fundamentals for experienced staff. This candid and insightful new video gives instructors a practical way to introduce, discuss and develop compassion.

Excerpts from “Compassion in Action”

“Terrific! For the first time compassion is presented as a skill which any health care professional can learn.”

Jane Metiu, RN,
MSN, Professor of Nursing,
Santa Barbara City College

“Throughout history, compassion, caring, and love have been the foundation of healing. Without them, medical science and technology are inadequate. The Medicine of Compassion reminds us that these factors remain crucial in health care, as the greatest healers have always known”

“A valuable tool for any educator in health care. The principles shown are powerful. I have consistently seen my students’ lives transformed by putting such compassion into action. Not only does this benefit their professional lives in the field of health care, it also improves their relationships with friends and family.”

“The Medicine of Compassion is excellent! This is practical compassion, and it is fundamental to building the partnerships with patients that produce better health care outcomes and better patient safety. Hospitals can improve the quality of care in a wide range of areas if they take this message to heart.”

A great video for those who are just starting out in health care – and an excellent training tool for instructors who want to encourage compassion. The art of conveying compassion to patients is clearly shown as a practical, learnable skill.”

“I love the way this video gives a clear organization to the elements of compassion. The hunger for the human touch is well demonstrated and the family healing segment is very poignant. The pace and feeling of the video is just right, and the instruction is clear – beautiful work!.”

Anthony A. Allina, M.D.Internal Medicine and Family Practice

“Unequivocally, The Medicine of Compassion will deepen staff awareness of our patients’ needs. Examples of staff and patient interaction throughout the film clearly illustrate the keys to skillful and sensitive communication. Implementing these skills will enhance our professionalism and make us better human beings at the same time.”

Your film is very much needed and will be a great asset to any health care training program. When I became ill with cancer I learned what it was like to be treated as a disease and not a person. Your lessons in empathy are an excellent way to ensure that practitioners are more aware of the impact that their behavior has on healing.”

Judy Mahoney, Ph.D.,Psychologist University of California, Irvine College of Medicine

How do we teach compassion?

According to Karen and Simon Fox, the best way to teach compassion is not to teach, but to inspire through real-life examples. Just as Adventures in Caring’s volunteers have learned their skills from personal experiences, the camera follows doctors, nurses and care-givers into the world of real situations, real challenges and real emotions.

The video shows how compassion forms a bridge between the two very different worlds: the world of the busy health care professional and the anxious, uncertain world of the patient. When compassion is present patients feel confident about the care they receive and health care staff experience greater satisfaction when working in a partnership with patients.

Good reasons to cultivate compassion in your staff

Increase patient satisfaction scores
Patients who experience compassion give hospitals the highest ratings – and then go on to tell all of their friends about the wonderful staff who looked after them.

Increase staff morale and retention
You will keep your best people longer, and they will hold standards of care higher, when they are invited to bring their hearts to work.

Reduce risk of litigation
As a rule of thumb, people don’t sue people they like.

128-page Leader Guide with instructions on how to use the video as the basis for a 60-minute or 90-minute class, or for a 3-hour workshop. To custom-design your own class additional discussion questions, class exercises, and video index are included, plus resources for continued learning and suggestions for measuring progress.

3 Handouts – formatted for easy copying. Five pages summarize the essential points of the video and expand upon them.

“In our fast-paced, high-tech health care system we must be reminded that health care is about people and relationships. The Medicine of Compassion can be used by all health care educators to show the central elements of the art of medicine; compassion, listening, and communication. Bravo!”.